This invention relates to a riding apparatus with, steerable front and rear wheel assemblies in general and, more specifically, to a walking cycle enabling a person to walk while seated.
A riding apparatus with front and rear wheels which are steerable with respect to each other and with respect to a frame are well known in the state of the art.
Great Britain Patent no. 11,693 discloses an arrangement by means of which the steering and guiding capabilities of a cycle are increased. This is accomplished by the fact that both the front wheel and the rear wheel are mounted pivotally with respect to the frame. The front wheel and rear wheel are connected by a coupling rod in such a way that the front and rear wheel deviate either in the same direction or in opposite direction. In the first embodiment, a steering action will lead to both wheels turning in the same direction, moving the cycle away sidewards from its original path thereby avoiding an object on the road for both wheels. In the second embodiment, the opposite action of the wheels will lead to a much smaller turning radius of the cycle. According to this patent, the saddle of the cycle is fixedly connected to the rear wheel, enabling the cyclist to steer the cycle without hands. The saddle turns in the same direction as the rear wheel, and depending on the embodiment, the front wheel turns in the same or opposite direction. The cycle according to this patent is driven by a known chain and pedal arrangement to enable the cyclist to propel the cycle.
Other arrangements of cycles with steerable front and rear wheel are known, in which the front and rear wheel can be turned independently of each other. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,902 shows a bicycle comprising front and rear wheel assemblies which are independently steerable. The front wheel can be steered by a handlebar which is fixedly connected to the fork of the front wheel assembly, and the rear wheel can be steered by the saddle which is fixedly connected to the fork of the rear wheel assembly. The bicycle also comprises a pedal crank which is mounted on the axle of the rear wheel.
A disadvantage of the known steering arrangements for bicycles is the inherent instability. This is aggravated when the coupling arrangements for the front and rear wheels is applied to walking cycles. Walking cycles are pushed forward by the cyclist by pushing off his feet in the opposite direction of movement. This manner of propulsion aggravates the instability of cycles with steerable wheels. The earliest walking cycles therefore had no steerable wheels at all and when a cyclist wanted to turn, he would have to stop and lift the cycle to point it at the right direction.
The goal of the present invention is to provide a riding apparatus for cycling while seated with steerable front and rear wheels that provides sufficient stability and agility.